Originally a lawyer, Bangalore-based Arati Venkat moved to the city from Dubai six years ago. With a calling for the farm life, she turned her family-owned six-acre property in Hesaragatta into her pet project, growing everything from onions and tomatoes to ginger, garlic, pomegranate, radish, carrots and lettuce, apart from herbs such as rosemary, basil and more. All grown organically, they also form the produce that goes into the dishes at Earth Kitchen’s in-house bistro, which makes for an ideal spot for a weekend getaway. “When I started, there was just one tree – a honge mara, a commonly found species in Karnataka that we’d take shelter under after a long day of working in the farm. Today, there are more than 2,500 trees of different varieties,” Venkat reveals. This weekend however, Earth Kitchen will play host to a
workshop called Mindful Eating, a philosophy that resonates with what is offered at this farmhouse-cum-bistro.
Feel your food
The workshop will be conducted by Kapila Ramakrishnan, a Chennai-based holistic healer and life coach this Sunday (Earth Kitchen only opens during weekends). The six-hour long session will cover topics such as listening to your body and determining what it needs, developing a healthy relationship with food, consuming a balanced diet and eating your way into good health. “This is the first of many workshops that we will be conducting at Earth Kitchen. I aim to promote the space as a platform for hosting fun workshops like yoga, photography and gardening,” shares Venkat.
Lunch hour
The workshop will also include lunch, which is one of the sessions. The spread, in keeping with the cuisine of the bistro, is Mediterranean with a range of salads, juices, mains and desserts. While the menu is yet to be decided, Venkat reveals that there will be a variety of cooking techniques and textures employed – from steamed, baked, fried to raw, crunchy, soft and crisp. “The idea is to monitor what people choose, portion sizes, and the time they take to complete their meal,” Venkat explains. People will be asked to taste each dish and try to gauge how their body reacts, and reason why they chose a particular dish with tips on how to change that, if it’s an unhealthy choice. Dessert will be a choice between something decadent, like a buttery cake with heavy cream or a light chocolate-based creation. “The idea is not to restrict yourself to eating healthy but indulging once in a while, and knowing when to stop. It’s all about balance,” she concludes.
Rs.2,500. July 26. 10 am. Details: earthkitchen.in